For The Love Of Music: The Freshman Year
by goldnote
Summary: This is Arianna's and Elissa's freshman year of high school. The new director seems to be everyone's favorite guy, but things take a turn for the worst and Arianna is left to deal with these problems along with her own. Rated T because of situations.
1. The First Hometown Parade

_Here we go with the first chapter of Arianna's, Elissa's, and Allie's freshman year! This is sort of a prequel to For The Love Of Music. It was supposed to have the same title, too, but, I had to call it something else. So, I just added on! I really wrote most of this late at night, so excuse me if it doesn't sound very well thought out. Things start to sound the same to me after I read something a few times, so you might think differently._

**Chapter One: First Hometown Parade.**

Arianna jumped a mile when Elissa poked her in her side, none too gently. Elissa laughed as her friend jumped to the side with a screech of surprise and pain.

"Elissa! I told you not to do that ! I don't like it and you know it!"

"Oh, come on Ari!"

Arianna had to smile in spite of herself, rubbing her side and picking up the band hat she had dropped Elissa winked and did a drop spin with a color guard flag she found leaning against a wall. The plain white flag, stitched up and dirty, was unfortunately one of their parade flags.

"Well, I should get out there and grab the rest of my uniform. We march out in about a half an hour."

Arianna watched Elissa nod and place the flag back where she had found it.

"See ya later, girl," Elissa said, walking off.

Arianna walked out of the school, into the sunlight. It was their last parade of the year, the hometown parade, and Arianna was thrilled. The summer sun was setting behind the school, casting shadows across the pavement. This was what Arianna loved the most: the quiet before the parade. Arianna walked into the shade and shook her hair out of her eyes. She spotted where she had put her bag before entering the school to find Elissa. With a light hearted skip, she retrieved it from the front of the parking lot. Why she had put it there instead of just taking it in with her was beyond Arianna, but she heaved the heavy bag off the ground, putting the strap over her shoulder. Arianna smiled as she looked up at the hazy clouds, accented orange and red by the setting sun.

The smile faded, though, when she realized someone was watching her.

He had not been there before, when Arianna had first entered the school, helping Elissa carry in all her things for that night's sleepover at Allie's house. Sitting on the cold concrete platform that held the support pillars of the school entrance, his legs dangling over the edge. His hair was corn silk blond, his skin pale, almost sickly. The man couldn't have been more than twenty five years old, although he looked just like a high school student, an exchange student, perhaps. He was slight of build and not very tall. Half of him was covered in shadow from the building and his attention was turned toward Arianna.

She had froze when she saw him looking at her, half scared, half embarrassed. Why had she not seen him when she walked out of the building? What had blinded her? She was aware he was looking at her and she raised her eyes to meet his.

If she was frozen before, she was struck by lightening now. His eyes were piercing blue and held her gaze with such intensity Arianna didn't want to look away. As she slowly walked back toward the building, Arianna stared at the man, and, until she entered the building, she kept looking at him and he at her. As soon as he disappeared from her sight, Arianna made a mad dash for the band room, calling for Elissa, uniform bag dragging along behind her.

* * *

"I'm right here! Arianna! Calm down!"

Elissa was shocked to see her friend in complete disarray, a wild look in her face. As Arianna raced up to Elisa, she dropped her band bag, leaving it lay in the hallway.

"A man! Outside! He was... he was...

"Elissa raised an eyebrow, throughly confused and frustrated. Seeing this look on her friend's face, and not finding the words she needed, Ariana gave up.

"I didn't think so... What is going on?"

"Elissa. Just listen to me! The man outside... He's so-"

Arianna stumbled over her tongue again. Elissa gave up and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "When you get a grip, I'll be with the color guard."

Arianna bowed her head, sighing. Sweeping hair from her face, she spotted her uniform bag where she had dropped it. Suddenly, she saw herself back outside, staring into the shadowed blue eyes. Another jolt ran though her. Frustrated, she simply pushed the bag over with her foot, moving it out of the hallway.

Whoever that man was, Arianna didn't have a good feeling about him.

_There we are! The first chapter. I really didn't know how to write this one because the way "Ari" and this man truly met was a little more dramatic, but I didn't want to write it how it was... Review, please! Thank you!_


	2. The New Band Director

_Here is the second chapter! Yippie. I usually write everything by hand on notebook paper in pen (I have not used a pencil in years), then I type it all up and save it to a floppy before I post it. That way, I have a physical copy, a virtual copy, and the online result. Just in case you wanted to know... ha._

**Chapter Two: The New Band Director.**

"Ari, have you met the new director yet?" Elissa ran up, her flag rippling behind her. Arianna, fastening the top button on her jacket, gasped.

"He's here?"

"Well, yeah! He has to see his band in performance before he takes over! Mr. Martin wanted him to come."

"What does he look like?" asked Arianna, snatching the piccolo case from her bag and opening it, hastily putting the instrument together and putting the case back. She hurried after Elissa, who had already started toward the entrance.

"He's cute! He looks so... handsome!" squealed Elissa. "His eyes are amazing and his voice, too! Don't even get me started! You just have to see for yourself. I know Allie almost died when she saw him!"

"Cute, huh?" asked Arianna, skeptic. She had never found a teacher to be cute, handsome, or even attractive. Ariana raised her eyebrows, shook her head, and let Elissa lead her to the front of the building.

There was a large group of students there already, some of them standing on the benches in front. Over the heads of her fellow band members, she could see Mr. Martin. He was almost every girl's dream: sandy hair, tanned skin, warm, brown eyes. The usual group of girls were fawning over him, making Arianna and Elissa gag. IT had been amusing and sickening at the same time to watch the usual gaggle of girls drool over Mr. Martin, and Mr. Martin did nothing to stop it. Arianna and Elissa suspected that he almost like the attention. Needless to say, the girls were crushed when he had announced to the band he was leaving for another job: a record deal. Aria and Elissa hadn't really cared. Mr. Martin had not impressed them in the slightest with his musical capabilities as a director and Ari was looking forward to seeing the new director.

Allie flew out of the crowd at them, short red hair clashing horribly because of the purple color guard uniform, but her smile was wide, making her look very pretty. She quickly gave Arianna and Elissa a hug.

"You both are staying over at my house tonight, right?"

Both girls nodded and Allie gave them each another hug.

"Ari hasn't seen the new director yet, has she?"

Elissa and Allie exchanged a smile while Arianna rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, guys, I doubt I am going to find him cute, or whatever you call him. If he's anything like Mr. Martin, I doubt he is going to get a moment's peace with all the girls hanging around him. Is that what the big crowd is all about?"

"Mostly," answered Allie. "All the girls find him attractive. All the boys are going to lose their girlfriends!"

"Com on!" Elissa said, grabbing Arianna's arm, pulling her forward. "You want to get a good look at him before he goes off to watch the parade. I hear he is not going to stay for warm up and he's leaving town right after the parade."

"No, really, I-"

But Arianna's words were cut short as Allie grabbed her other arm and helped Elissa in dragging Ari into the crowd. The crowd was almost hostile, no one wanting to let another girl in front to get a good look at the new director. Arianna cringed as one girl even puller her black braid, her hair thick and almost down to the middle of her back: a very good handle. Allie snapped at the girl, and, finally, the three made it to the front.

In front of them was the new director, sitting right how Arianna had first seen him. His face, hair, and eyes were exactly how Arianna remembered them from barely a half an hour ago.

Once again, his eyes and her eyes locked, and Arianna felt stunned. Elissa and Allie snapped Arianna out of ti as the crowd heard the shrill whistle of the majorette. As Arianna walked away from the director without a word, Allie and Elissa glanced behind them. The director was still looking right at Arianna, as shocked as Arianna was.

"So, that director is pretty handsome, huh?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Come on, Ari! I saw the look on your face! He looked right back at your. That girl could have pulled your hair again, just out of spite because he was looking at you without that bored look in his eyes."

Arianna rolled her own eyes at Elissa.

"How about you, Allie? Make you want to join band?"

"Yes!" said Allie, as enthusiastic as she could while fighting sleep. "I just might pick up the clarinet again..."

"Oh, Allie. Both of you! You both are being weird!"

"Don't worry, Arianna! You'll know soon enough if you feel the same way we do."

As the girls drifted off to sleep, camped out on Allie's bedroom floor, Elissa asked Arianna one thing.

"Was he the guy you were trying to tell me about?"

"Yes. Goodnight, Elissa."

_There is the end of that chapter... I didn't really like it (it was really early in the morning when I wrote it) but I liked it enough to post it. I guess I just don't like reading my own work! Please review! Thank you very much!_


	3. The First Day Back

_Here we are with Chappie Four! Sorry it took me a while to get it updated. I write everything out by hand, as I have probably mentioned in other stories, so I don't type until everything is how I want it... Thanks for reading and be sure to review!_

**Chapter Three: The First Day Back.**

"How many times were you shoved around in the hallway?"

"Enought times to know to jump out of the way."

Elissa and Allie were standing in the music annex, in front of the choir room door. They had another minute until the bell would signal the start of class. Their first day of their freshman year was well underway, and the girls already had a headache. Classes were so muhc different than those of junior high. All the classrooms were different and all the teachers they had never had for junior high classes seemed so scary. They already had an insane amount of homework and Allie's backpack already had a hole in it. Unfortunately, the girls had no classes together this semester.

"What are you girls doing here?" asked Mr. Mercer, the choir teacher. A tall, heavy built man, Mr. Mercer was the favorite teacher of most students. His wit and sarcasm made almost anybody laugh. He was like Elissa's father to her, and Elissa and Allie grinned as he walked up to them.

"We're just waiting for Ari..."

Right on cue, Arianna struggled her way through the crowd to the music annex, her arms loaded with books, her hair tangled in notebook wires. Elissa had partly lied. They had indeed been waiting for Arianna, but they were also in in the music annex waiting to get a glimpse of the new director.

'So, this wouldn't have anything to do with Mr. Berringer? 'Cause he's in the office and you won't see him down here."

Mr. Mercer had made Elissa and Allie blush, Arianna rolling her eyes disdainfully. The warning bell rang, sending students scattering.,

"Go. Away." said Mr. Mercer, using his famous line. He used that for anything he could abbreviate. If he meant, "It's time to go to class now, go on," he would instead say, "Go. Away."

Arianna sneered. She didn't like Mr. Mercer. She didn't appreciate his sense of humor and found him annoying. He was an obnoxious adult. Mercer and Elissa walked into the choir room as Allie ran off. She had no music classes. Arianna walked into the band room, catching snippets of conversation.

"Where is he? Oh, he's so cute!"

"This year is going to be the best!"

"Did you see the way he looked at her?"

Arianna snorted and ignored that comment directed at her and she sat in her normal chair, first chair, in the flute section, set on de-tangling her hair and freeing it from the notebook. She was sick of people fawning over him. As the bell rang for class to start, everyone sat down and waited for the new director to walk in.

* * *

Eventually, he showed up, late, papers in hand. He walked into the room, a nervous smile on his face. He set his papers on a stand, which fell over with the weight and spilled the papers all over the floor. He tried to bend over and pick them up, but saw the expectant eyes of his class and let the papers go. Standing on the podium, Mr. Berringer could feel the heat of the lights and everyone could tell he was nervous as well as uncomfortable.

"Uh, hello. My name is Paul Berringer, but you will all call me Mr. Berringer. This is my first year ever teaching and I ask that you be patient as I figure everything out." He gave a chuckle and, after getting no response but doe eyes from girls and raised eyebrows from guys, continued. "I am not very good at names and faces, so I hope no one will be offended if I call you something else. I'll get everything straight, don't worry. I really am looking forward to a good year and I have some plans for this band."

Arianna snorted. She was in Varsity Band, the lowest band of the school. She knew she was better than most, if not all, of the flutists in Concert Band, but knew that freshmen were not allowed in Concert Band. She had been outraged. Now, if Varsity Band would mess up, Arianna would be taken down with them. Glancing around the room, she wanted to give the girls a good slap.

* * *

Band was not that great. All that hour, they worked on scales and practice sheets. Arianna didn't mind so much, but everyone else did, apparently. Mr. Berringer was forced to cut class short because of the whining that was going on.

They didn't even talk about the field show, which was less than two weeks away. Arianna didn't know the band as well as some older students did, but she knew based off of summer marching experiences that the band would need all the time it could get.

_It's the end of Chappie Three! Please review! Thankies! _


	4. In No Time At All

_Hi! Thanks to all of you who have read so far! I'm trying to get the chapters out as fast as I can... I almost have a headache! I'll update as soon as possible every time I get a new chapter! _

**Chapter Four: In No Time At All...**

In no time at all, the students hated the new director. It had barely been a week and already girls who had laid claims on Mr. Berringer were denying that they ever felt anything for him. The guys, far from being jealous, were making up new jokes about him, saying such awful things.

Elissa, who split time between choir and band, felt so embarrassed she had had such a crush on him. Her most recent heart throb, Aaron Gable, had joined choir and was a percussionist in band, too, just like Elissa. As the days went on, Elissa had to laugh at herself.

Mr. Berringer was far from competent as a band director. He dropped things, forgot things, accidentally ruined things... He stumbled over his words and always sounded nervous. The only name he remembered was Arianna's. Allie still admired him for his looks, but even said out loud that she had been so stupid for fawning over him.

Arianna was confused and frustrated. She was angry at all the people who were making fun of the director when they had not even had a full week of band yet. Arianna's head hurt from all the situations she found herself in: missing schoolwork, cranky teachers, long classes; not to mention her anger at Allie and Elissa for laughing at Mr. Berringer as he dropped a whole score of music.

* * *

How could she be so cold in band? How could Arianna ignore the band director? But, she wasn't really ignoring him... She would look at him, trying to conduct on the podium, the baton swinging through the air...

* * *

And every time he looked at her, she couldn't help but to look straight back into to blue eyes.

The field show was not coming together. The athletic director wouldn't allow the band on the football field for practice, so the band was forced to go to the junior high practice field, all the way across the school grounds. After realizing that there were no yard markers (the football team had them and were not giving them up), Mr. Berringer had to practically get on his knees and beg for a handful of chalk lines to be drawn on the field so the band would at least know where they had to go. Colorguard members, like Elissa, had to stand at the lines, becoming markers for the yard lines.

The band was confused with or without the lines and colorguard members, however. Some of them, like Arianna, had never seen the format of a field show and didn't know how to read the set graphs. Arianna, fortunately, picked up the art of the field show quickly and was often found guiding lost marchers to their spots. It didn't help her nerves or attitude, however, when a snooty, popular flute player followed Arianna around, telling her she was doing it all wrong. She picked out the slightest things and told Arianna she was wrong.

"Arianna," she would yell, "You're a step off from your spot. You have to be right behind me!" Arianna would try to figure out why the girl, Jenate, was doing this, but gave up after a few days of constant commands from the girl. Arianna simply started to say, "I know, Jenate, I know." Ironically, it was Jenate who couldn't read her set graphs and Mr. Berringer had to tell her where to go: she wouldn't listen to Arianna if she had an answer to Jenate's questions.

Mr. Berringer had years and years of marching experience behind him from being a member of a professional marching group, but he was not prepared for the world of directing a field show.

* * *

Arianna found herself looking enviously at the majorette as she stood at the 50 yard line with her whistle in her hand. Arianna knew she could do that if she had only been given a chance to figure out how to become on. The majorette was from the Concert Band,d however, and Arianna, being from Varsity, was looked at like scum. He fumed inside as the majorette simply shrugged when Mr. Berringer had a question to ask her . Arianna knew that she would never shrug as a majorette, or just stand there, looking bored. She would be working with the band, helping out, fixing problems.

Arianna would be the majorette next year if she could do something about it. She was already leading the entire woodwind section as a band member and was first chair over sophomores. She had heard the Concert members and knew she could beat them in challenges, too, until she finally challenged first chair in a glorious match. Arianna snarled to herself. Why, then, if she was so good, was she being given orders by a fellow freshman who had her set graph upside down and was being ignored?

_Thank you very much for reading! Please review! I post for comments and to share my stories! Thanks! I'm hopefully going to get the next chapter up soon!_


	5. Ambition

_Here we are. Chapter Five! Thanks for the reviews and I encourage more! Thanks for reading, too!_

**Chapter Five: Ambition.**

Arianna knew they were going to bomb the feild show if they didn't get on the football field. It was one week to performance and the athletic director was still refusing to let the marching band on the field. Members of the band started to complain and say what Arianna was thinking. They were never going to have anything down for a performance if they couldn't use the real field. It had rained a day or two after the janitor grudgingly put chalk on the practice field; the rain washed all the chalk away and put the band behind schedule.

Finally, after pleading the case to the principal, who was the director before Mr. Martin, the athletic director handed the keys over to the band director with a curse and the band members filed out onto the field. The athletic director sat on the bleachers, keeping a keen eye out for any band member that might deface his precious grass.

* * *

For hours they practiced, students getting passes from their last classes to stay later. The athletic director, bored, left. As soon as he left, people stomped on the grass out of spite, until Mr. Berringer caught them and told them to stop.

Finally, they heard the bell ring, the speakers outside the building alerting the band that the school day was over.

"Don't forget, we have another practice tomorrow during band! I'm also finding a date for an evening practice. If anyone had any suggestions, let me-"

"Never have an evening practice," called Wade, a fellow freshman and a jerk when it came to human conversation.

Mr. Berringer shook his head in frustration the same time Arianna did, and they caught on another. Arianna was shocked to find herself shaking as he smiled at her and started walking up the field to the school. Elissa ran up to Arianna as Arianna found her feet and began walking to the school, too, piccolo in hand.

"So, he smiled at you. Do you still not like him?"

"I never said I didn't like him. I said I didn't find him attractive."

"Well, that look on your face was enough to say differently..."

"You imagined it, Elissa."

Elissa shrugged. If she wanted to be that way, fine.

"So, how do you think the majorette is doing?"

"Awful!" Arianna caught herself before she continued. "I mean, I didn't like how she would just shrug when Mr. Berringer asked her a question. She can't mark time, either. And maybe you remember that she gave the wrong command and accused us all to get lost in set-"

"Ari, relax! I almost regret asking! She's only human. We're all entitled to our mistakes! Don't worry. It'll all come together and, when the time comes, you'll be up there, conducting us. Just relax."

"But the field show isn't even a week away and we've never had an evening practice!"

Elissa grabbed Arianna by the shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Ari, I order you to relax! The feild show will come together and Mr. Berringer will get everything under control. The majorette will find her left from her right and get the commands, too!"

Elissa smirked before continuing, seeing the horror on Arianna's face.

"Or we'll all just bomb this year, next year, too, until you are a majorette and whip us into shape. That is, if your ambition holds."

"Don't worry," growled Arianna. "It will."

_That was a short chappie, but I wanted it to be short! I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to reviews! Thanks for reading!_


	6. First Night Practice

_Sorry it took me so long to get this last chapter posted... I have had a lot of other stories that wanted attention! Here we are! Enjoy and review, please! Thanks!_

**Chapter Six: First Night Practice**

It was chilly outside in the fall air, the night sky bringing icy stars into view. The moon was not out yet, the sky velvet black as Arianna stepped onto the marching field. The stadium lights were on, blindingly white over the green of the grass. There was just enough breeze to blow wisps of hair into her face and stick to Arianna's lips.

The colorguard was already there, but Arianna was the first band member on the field. The colorguard flags were rippling, cutting through the brittle air, flashing in front of Arianna. Besides the colorguard and herself, she saw no one.

She went and sat up in the bleachers, pulling on her gloves. The gloves she had were thin and long, coming almost to her elbows, perfect for piccolo-work on the field. She sat there on the cold metal bench, rubbing her hands together, piccolo on her lap, as she realized someone was watching her.

She saw him standing in the shadow of the school, leaning up against the brick wall. His thin body seemed to almost sway in the breeze and he shut his eyes against the chill air. Arianna could feel her throat close in awe as he looked over toward her again and smiled, leaning his head against the wall. Arianna turned away and focused on the field where the colorguard was working on their routine. Elissa winked at Arianna and Arianna laughed as Elissa caught a triple and looked around in amazement to see if anyone else saw that. Arianna clapped and Elissa bowed, getting in trouble with the coach. Arianna winced; she turned to look at the director, but he was gone. It was as if he had never been there.

* * *

The band was one hour into the practice and Mr. Berringer was about to tear his hair out. Arianna was dumbstruck at the difficulties the students were giving him. Everything from smart comments to insubordination and nothing was getting done. Jenate was back in full force and Arianna felt relief when they moved onto another set where Arianna was able to march away from Jenate and stay there for a while.

Again, the majorette stood at the front of the field, doing nothing but watch the chaos unfold. Arianna bit her lip and kept her opinions to herself as the majorette walked away and had a seat on a sideline bench.

The colorguard was not doing any better than the band. The flags were being dropped, a rifle came apart, and the coach was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Jenate started to yell across the field at Arianna, causing everyone to look at her and watch what the piccolo play would do. Arianna double checked her set graphs. She was exactly where she was supposed to be. Jenate kept screaming at her to move and Arianna finally snapped.

"No!" she yelled across the field, startling Jenate. "No, I am where I am supposed to be. If you have a problem with where I am, take it up with Mr. Berringer!"

Elissa and Allie, hearing this, started to clap, earning dirty looks from their coach. Jenate, tossing her short hair, stomped up to the director, making fierce movements and apparently yelling in his face. Mr. Berringer, taking a took at Arianna and glancing at his master graph, told Jenate to get back in her spot: her actual spot, for Jenate had been almost five yards off from where she was supposed to be. Jenate threw Arianna a venomous look as the band members muttered among themselves. They were all sick of Jenate's yelling and now Arianna was in the spotlight: she knew how to read set graphs.

Eventually, instead of Arianna going to help others, they went to her and soon Arianna was not able to go more than a few steps without people brandishing set graphs at her.

* * *

The moon had crept up over the end of the field, barely a silver sliver in the sky. Arianna put the piccolo back in it's case and put the case in her jacket pocket. Practice was over and everyone was exhausted. The colorguard had left early and Arianna was the last to leave. There was something beautiful about the field with no one on it, the lights on. It was like a clean canvas waiting for the portrait. Arianna could see the faint shadow of Mr. Berringer walking across the field to the light box. Within a few moments, all the stadium lights were turned off, leaving the moon and the stars to do the best they could in lighting the field.

Mr. Berringer walked alone in the dark back to the school.

_

* * *

Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading and I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible!_


	7. Second Night Practice

_Here we are with Chapter Seven already... Wow. Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far and I hope to get some reviews! Here we go..._

**Chapter Seven: Second Night Practice**

"Hot gloves, Ari!"

"Thanks, Allie. I honestly just found them under my bed the other week."

Arianna petted Allie's hair as Elissa walked up, eyebrows raised.

"Why are you petting Allie's hair?"

"I like it," cooed Allie, smiling at her.

Arianna cringed as all three of the girls heard the whistle. The majorette stood on the field, Mr. Barringer beside her.

"You want to be in her spot, don't you?" asked Elissa, seeing the pained look on her friend's face. "Well, you'll get it someday, okay? And then you'll be there next to Mr. Barringer, his hand is yours..."

Arianna gave Elissa a dirty look as Elissa ran off laughing with Allie, flags rippling behind them. Arianna walked out onto the field and stood in her spot for the first set and waited as Mr. Berringer climbed the metal steps of the bleachers to the top, turning and surveying the band.

"Now then, let's run the show through!"

* * *

Arianna's legs were sore from over exertion in the cold and she could hardly feel her fingers, even with the gloves on. Mr. Barringer was yelling at the top of this lungs because he was unable to get into the press box behind the bleachers. The athletic director had conveniently locked it and forgot the keys. Arianna could almost see him shaking; he had such a thin jacket on with no gloves. His face was pale in the white of the stadium lights and he was stamping his feet, hands tucked in his pockets.

"It's freezing out here! Just let us go home!" yelled one person from across the field, probably Wade. Mr. Berringer stomped his feet harder and shook his head.

"No! We have a field show in three days! We are not stopping a whole hour early because you happen to be cold! It's not cold out here! Not at all!"

Arianna felt her heart bleed for him as the director coughed, almost bending in half, covering his face with his hands. The majorette looked at him expectantly, ignoring the fact he was about to fall over in pain, and started to tap her foot, sighing in impatience. Once the director regained control of himself, he raised his shaking hands, yelling as loud as he could.

"Once more from the top!"

* * *

"So, that was funny when his voice cracked! Haha, the guy isn't more than one of us... When he was coughing, I though he was going to fall down the steps. That would-"

"Stop it, Elissa!"

"Ari, what's wrong?"

"I don't like it when you make fun of him, okay?"

Elissa, Arianna, and Allie were walking back to the band room, feet crunching on the frosty grass. From the light coming from the football field, Elissa could see Arianna's face, livid in anger.

"Look, Elissa was just joking around. She didn't mean anything by it."

Allie stood next to Elissa and Elissa tilted her chin, nose going into the air. Arianna, not one to back down from a fight, stepped closer.

"That's not funny! The poor guy is just trying to do his job. He's obviously not feeling well and this cold isn't doing anything to help any of us. He is our director and we need to give him some respect!"

"Respect?"

"Yes! Elissa, after Mr. Martin left, you and Allie fawned over him and then decided you didn't like him after all, just like everyone else in this band."

"Arianna realized how loud her voice was as people walking by started to turn and look. She continued in a whisper that was so full of fury that Allie glanced nervously at Elissa for a reaction.

"Every girl in this band, except myself, wanted to go home with him; every guy wanted to know him. And now, he's being teased, ignored, treated like he isn't a teacher, but a student. He isn't one of us!"

"Then why do you get that look on your face every time he looks at you, every time you see him, every time he walked by? You might not realize it, Arianna, but you're falling in love and you're going to do everything to protect him. Just don't let it ruin this year for us. You can't fall in love."

Allie scampered after Elissa as Elissa walked to the band room, satisfied with what she had said. Arianna stood in the middle of the large grassy field between the bleachers and the school, watching her two friends follow the rest of the band to the school. The little amount of light there was came from the field and, within moments, the stadium lights were turned off, leaving Arianna in darkness. She stood there for several minutes and glanced up at the stars. The moon was a bit more than a sliver in the sky and the stars were veiled by wisps of clouds. Angrily, Arianna took out the ribbon holding her hair back and shook her hair out, it's warmth covering her neck. Arianna smiled a little, not knowing why.

"Aren't you coming out of the cold?"

A soft voice behind her startled Arianna. She turned her head, piccolo in her hand, only to see Mr. Berringer. He was smiling, she could see that much. His long black jacket whipped around his ankles and his hands were in his pockets. He gave a slight cough and looked at Arianna expectantly, stopping by her side.

"Yes, I- I suppose," Arianna muttered, feeling her face light up in embarrassment. Luckily it was so dark and she was standing in his shadow. In silence, the two walked to the school across the field, both heads bowed, Arianna's hair sticking to his jacket sleeve.

_

* * *

Hopefully I'll update soon. Writing everything out by hand first takes a little while! I like a pen and paper copy for myself, though, so it's worth it! Please read and review! Thanks!_


	8. One Last Practice

_Here is the next chapter. The end part is true, and "Ari" did cry, but that was before she had Marah to take all that softness away from her. Elissa and Arianna were different people before Marah came into the picture, so if the characters seem a little different now compared to the Sophomore year, you have to remember that they were older then (though not by much!) and there were different circumstances and events that changed them, so these are the same people, just at a different time of their lives!_

_Please read and review! Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

**Chapter Eight: One Last Practice**

Elissa rolled her eyes, glancing over at Arianna. Field show practice had just started and already there were problems. The band was not cooperating and precious class time was being wasted. They had once hour until school let out for the weekend and Mr. Berringer wanted the routine worked on before then. People were complaining, making jokes at Mr. Berringer's expense, and giving rude names to the different set graphs. The majorette had gum in her mouth, snapping the gum and looking bored; Elissa saw that the majorette didn't have her whistle, which was made obvious to the rest of the band when she just shrugged when Mr. Berringer asked her to call the band to attention. Arianna snarled softly to herself and Elissa, although she knew it wasn't funny, smiled.

She and Arianna and Allie had all met up the day after the bad evening practice and Elissa had half-heartedly apologized, as had Arianna. Allie had laughed at this sight, the two hard-headed girls glancing nervously back and forth, in case anyone but Allie were to hear them.

Allie wasn't with the band today, unable to get out of her last class to join the band on the practice field. Elissa was one of the three color guard members who were a part of band and were on the field at that moment. They needed new flags. They really needed new flags. Elissa saw the grass stains and dirt stains and all the patches...

She was brought back to attention by Mr. Berringer trying to call the band to attention, Elissa heard Arianna yell for the woodwinds to listen and they did, surprisingly, snapping their instruments up. Elissa told the girls on either side of her to pay attention and, after a quick roll of the eyes, they listened as the majorette lazily raised her arms, snapped her gum, and started the song.

* * *

Practice ended for the sole reason of failure. It ended because people started to walk away in disgust. One by one, students started to leave, faking excuses that Mr. Berringer couldn't really say no to. Then, as practice went on and on with nothing being accomplished, other students left. In groups, they walked off the field, ignoring the yells of Mr. Berringer and the threat of detention.

Eventually, he told the majorette to stop waving her arms (what she was doing really couldn't be called conducting), and he dismissed the rest of the students from the field. Elissa and Arianna walked in the back of the group in silence, anger and sadness mingling. The feild show was next week and already there was no way there would be anymore practices. There was no way everything would come together in time.

* * *

Arianna was never more relieved to hear the bell, signaling the end of the day. She stepped out of the band room and into the music annex, letting the rest of the band pass her by. She looked around for Elissa, her friend leaving the band after the failed practice to go to choir. However, instead of Elissa, Arianna saw a figure, slumped against the wall, hidden in the corner by a trophy case. Walking closer, she realized it was Mr. Berringer.

His face was bone white and his hair was ruffled. His arms were crossed and his chin rested on his chest, his face hidden. Arianna didn't know what to do. Should she ask him if he was okay? No, because it was apparent he wasn't. All Arianna could think of was one thing to say.

"Goodnight, Mr. Berringer."

He looked up at her and smiled a sad smile and Arianna felt something like a knife stab into her soul. The look in his eyes was one of the saddest things she had ever seen. He had given up. It was apparent in his crystal blue eyes. He didn't want to continue working with the band.

"Goodnight, Arianna," he said softly, the sad smile fading as he stood from his corner and walked to his office, carefully shutting the door behind him.

Arianna walked up the steps from the band annex, unable to find Elissa, tears in her own eyes.

_

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There we go! I'll write some more soon! Thanks for reading and please, please review!_


	9. The Fieldshow

_Chapter Nine is here! Yippie! Here we are! Please let me know what you think!_

**Chapter Nine: The Field show**

The field show came too fast for Arianna, Elissa, and Allie. All that week leading up to Friday night, Arianna wasn't the only one who noticed a change in Mr. Berringer. After the initial shock wore off when he announced there would be no more practices, the students took over the band. Nothing was done and, after the first two days of failed practices, the director let them watch movies the rest of the week.

Elissa would go to choir instead of sitting in the band room with a movie, thinking what a waste it was. Allie wasn't thrilled she didn't have to leave class for practice, but dealt with sitting through an entire block rather well. Arianna would sit in Mr. Berringer's office, sometimes reading, sometimes just sitting there. The lamp was turned on, a little table lamp that gave off enough light so Arianna wasn't sitting in absolute darkness. Sometimes Mr. Berringer would come and give her a task, like organizing scores or cleaning out the desk. Mostly, though, Arianna was by herself, which gave her time to think.

It was impossible for her to feel anything for Mr. Berringer. He was in his 20's and she wasn't even 16. That was sick. That was wrong. She couldn't love him because it would be impossible for him to love her back. Arianna supposed she was only feeling sorry for Mr. Berringer. That must be it, she told herself. She felt bad for him and wanted to fix everything. But, that wasn't logical. If she pities him, she would feel the way she did when he smiled at her.

* * *

The night of the field show was chilly, like any fall evening. Arianna took a glance at her cellphone, seeing that she was already ten minutes late for practice before the performance. Arianna nearly tripped over he uniform bag in her rush through the school on her way down to the band room. If she would have paid more attention, she would have realized there was no other sound than her footsteps and a lone trumpet. She arrived at the front door of the band room, dropping her bag in the music annex, checking her phone with the clock in the annex, taking a double glance at both. Her phone was almost an hour off.

Arianna shook her head. Now she was early and had nothing to do until everyone else came to practice. Arianna then noticed the sound of a trumpet coming from the band room, lights showing underneath the door. Was it Peter, maybe, having made Arianna's same mistake? Carefully, Arianna opened the door and stepped inside. Mr. Berringer was sitting in the chair she always sat in for band practice, playing a song from a pile of sheet music on the stand in front of him. Arianna stood there, watching him play, until the door clicked shut behind her, startling both people in the room. Looking up, Mr. Berringer smiled.

"Hey, Arianna," he said, clearing the spit valve and putting some of the music under the chair, moving onto the next song in the pile.

"Hello, Mr. Berringer," Arianna said, unsure if she should leave or stay. He waved her over, however, before she could put much thought into the dilemma. Arianna walked down the few steps to where he sat and took the vacant chair next to him, clasping her hands in her lap. She listened to him play, every note resounding in her heart.

It was the beauty of the music that made her heart weep.

* * *

He stopped playing after the first band member arrived, cutting off the note and gathering his sheet music. Arianna was jolted back to reality as Elissa pounced on her. Mr. Berringer smiled a little and stood up, making sure he remembered the music under the chair. Ariana noticed how close he held his trumpet, his hands firmly clasping it to his chest. She watched him leave the band room, still hearing the song he had been playing in her mind.

"What have you been doing, Ari? Arrive early to have him play for you?"

"No, I accidentally came early and he let me listen to him practice."

"Sure, sure, whatever. Hey, can you help me get my flag from the back room?"

"You're a big girl now, Elissa. You can get it yourself."

* * *

Time flew by on the field. Arianna watched Elissa and Allie catch their flags perfectly, not a single pole hitting the ground. Arianna made it to every on of her positions in the numerous sets and found it difficult to keep the smile off her face as the spectators in the stands clapped and took pictures. The majorette had gotten rid of her gum and, as she bowed, Arianna felt more than a twinge of jealousy. She was up there, her marching skirt on, her jacket luminescent in the field lights, her sequined bridal frame glittering. The whistle around her neck shone and Arianna's heart dropped as she saw Mr. Berringer smiling at the majorette.

No matter how proud she was of the band and the performance, Arianna knew she was not going to be happy until she was wearing the whistle. Slowly, the band marched off the field at the majorette's command.

_Poor Ari. Poor Elissa for having to put up with Ari. Poor Allie for having to sit through class... Ha! I talk about "the heart" a lot when I write. I think it's a bit over-used, but I like it. Musicians feel everything so much more than others, I believe (although it might not be true), and "the heart" is allowed to laugh and cry. I think when I say "the heart," I mean "the soul." Who knows? (That was a little glimpse into the author's mind...) (whether wanted or not!). Please read and review and let me know what you think! Thanks and I'll update soon! I might even start on the Junior year of For the Love of Music "series."_


	10. Darkness Had Fallen

_I know that this chapter might seem familiar to those of you who have read the Sophomore year of For the Love of Music, but it's supposed to be. It's not the exact same, but I wanted to make it like, if you are reading the Sophomore year of For the Love of Music, it's almost like a flashback to that chapter between Marah and Arianna. (And the princess of the band thing was not my idea, it was Elissa's...) Here we go!_

**Chapter Ten: Darkness Had Fallen...**

After the initial rush of band students, the only things left in the band room were the scents of shoe leather and salt, and Arianna. It was late already, but the homecoming game had not ended; everyone had rushed out to see how the game would end an to cheer on their boyfriends or family members. It helped that no one had enjoyed marching in the halftime show in the rush to clear the band room.

Arianna wasn't interested in the game. Elissa and Allie had agreed to meet her by the press box, right by the stand where the student council was selling hot drinks and candy. She was in no rush to go back outside and liked the band room, as twisted as that sounded. She breathed deep, inhaling the smell of uniforms. The band uniforms themselves smelled like tar and dirt and diesel fumes, but Arianna didn't think it was a bad smell at all and took another breath, shutting her eyes.

"I thought I was the only person who liked the smell of hard work."

Arianna jumped as Mr. Berringer entered the band room. He went around the room, straightening the percussion equipment, setting the music stands upright, picking up spare bits of uniform that people had forgotten. Arianna, startled, nodded and helped clean up the room. She could hear Mr. Berringer start to hum. It was the love song from a musical, his voice carrying across the room. He had such a unique voice and Arianna felt frozen as she heard it. She wasn't really paying attention to what she was picking up until she noticed something glittering in her hand.

It was the majorette's bridal frame.

The purple sequins shone under the florescent lights of the band room, the white tulle poof on the back slightly crunched. The majorette had apparently dropped it and either didn't know she had lost it, or didn't care. Arianna could see herself in the reflection of the sequins, pale and worried. She wasn't holding a brow band, she was holding a crown. This was the crown of the princess of the band, something to be worn with honor, something that deserved more than being carelessly tossed on the floor. She wrapped her fingers around it and said to herself, "When I am majorette..."

That was her motto, her creed, what she lived by. "When I am majorette..." was what pushed her. That was her biggest ambition. All she needed to do was work harder and show her dedication. She would never quit band, she would never shirk from responsibility, she would never lose first chair. Never.

"What did you find? Is that Becky's bridal frame?" Mr Berringer walked up to Arianna, looking over her shoulder. Arianna hesitantly gave it to Mr. Berringer, feeling the sequins under her fingers, touching it for the last time until it was hers. Mr. Berringer put it on the storage cabinet in the front of the room, placing it on top of the pile of abandoned items.

"Let's go, Arianna."

Arianna walked up to the front of the room, standing at Mr. Berringer's side as his hand reached toward the light switches.

Flick. Out went the percussion lights.

Flick. Out went the brass lights.

One by one, they were all turned off until only the director's light remained, shedding a feeble light on the podium until Mr. Berringer turned off that one last light.

Darkness had fallen over the band room.

"Goodnight, Mr. Berringer."

"Goodnight, Arianna."

_Sad... Well, Arianna has to realize that it's going to take her a bit longer to get majorette, if she ever does! Let me know what you think! Please review! It helps me so much when I write the chapters to hear what people have to say! Thanks for reading and I'll update soon!_


	11. Working Too Hard

_Yippee! Another chapter! I was thinking of Elissa and Mr. Berringer today and realized I hadn't updated in a while, so I wrote the next chapter in the Freshman year. Arianna really did suffer those two weeks of recording and paperwork and practice after practice alone in the uniform/recording room, but it was all needed, I think. She was stupid, though, I have to admit, to skip out on meals. Food is good._

_Anyway, I don't want to babble, I want you to read the story. Here we go!_

**Chapter Eleven: Working Too Hard**

"Arianna, sit down and eat something. You look like you're going to faint."

Arianna refused and Elissa grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the chair next to her, shoving her lunch plate in front of Ari.

"Honestly, Elissa, I don't want to eat anything; I just needed to go to the office for a document that was faxed-"

"Ari, if you don't eat these potatoes, I'm going to shove them down your throat. This not-eating-when-you're-supposed-to thing has really gotten to be too much."

Arianna took the fork and stuck it into the potatoes. Elissa noticed her fingers shaking and how listless her eyes looked. Ari's hair was dull and she had split ends and her skin was pale and dry. Her lips were swollen and Elissa had noticed her voice was raspy.

"Ari, when was the last time you ate?"

"Um, dinner yesterday."

"Don't lie."

"Okay, dinner the day before."

"Arianna! That's not right! That's not healthy! Now, you have to eat the corn, too. I'm keeping you here for lunch."

"But, Mr. Berringer-"

"He'll just have to put up with the fact that you have to eat. How many weeks have you been skipping lunch to go and practice or record? One, two?"

"Two. But, Elissa, I need practice! I have to send in all the paperwork tomorrow and the tape the day after next. I'm already halfway done. I really can't waste time."

Arianna had been in the back room of the band room, recording for an honor band. Elissa remembered Arianna had tried out before for this band, the previous year, but had not made it. The honor band only accepted the top auditions in the state and, this year, there were ten available flute spots. Arianna was going to be one of them. But first she had to win her audition. The concert list was strenuous and consisted of songs Arianna had never heard of, songs the band director himself could barely count out. And the stress of perfecting her audition was slowing hurting Arianna.

"Has Mr. Berringer been pushing you or-"

"No, actually. I have been doing this all myself. Besides the important paperwork, anyway. We had a practice after school the other night."

"What went on?"

"He was so flustered, he left after ten minutes and told me to lock the doors when I was done. I have my own set of keys for the band room now."

"Well, at least you got ten minutes of practice done with him."

"He just erased the white board and picked up the room."

"Oh..."

The bell rang for the end of lunch and Arianna jumped up, gathering the papers she had placed on the table.

"Oh, no! I still need to get those sheets from the office and find the teacher who borrowed the microphone jack for-"

"Arianna!"

But she had already run off, calling a goodbye and thanks to Elissa. Elissa sighed and picked up her lunch tray she had shared with Arianna. She was frustrated to find that not a bite of food had gone from Ari's fork to her mouth.

* * *

They were all eating in the band room. The thought of that alone made Arianna's skin crawl. No one was supposed to eat in the band room. But, they were having pastries and juice, watching a movie, the food courtesy of the director himself. It was the same movie the band had watched the previous week, but no one cared. Arianna could almost taste the food and a growl reached her ears from her stomach.

Arianna took her flute from her case and left the band room, closing the door behind her, keys in hand. It was time to record what she had been working on for the past few days. The audition material was due soon and Arianna was not point to miss a deadline because of laziness. She told herself that she would eat later; right now, she had work to do.

Arianna couldn't help but sigh when she sat in the silence of the uniform room that doubled as her recording station. The only sound that came from the band room was the occasional person leaving the band room to get a drink of water or use the restroom.

* * *

Arianna practiced and practiced, hoping Mr. Berringer would come visit her or talk with her or at least check on what she was doing. Last she had seen him, he was in his office, the door closing behind him. What was he doing? How was he? There were so many things Arianna wanted to say to him, but she knew the words wouldn't come out, even if he was there.

Finally, the deadline getting closer and her hope falling, Arianna took a deep breath and made a vow: she would show him how much he meant to her, how supportive she was of him, by making these last songs the best she would ever play. If she made this band, the most prestigious honor band in the entire state, maybe he would see her for who Arianna wanted to be. He would put her on a pedestal, he would be so proud of her, he would never forget her, no matter what happened.

Arianna pushed the record button with a shaking finger, announced the title of the song, and raised the flute to her lips.

She was ready.

_

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Poor Ari, I think. What do you say? Please review and tell me what you think of the story so far! I love reviews! Thanks for reading and I'll update soon! Thanks!_


	12. A Gesture Of Affection And A New Friend

_Sorry about the lack of updates for this story... It's just a little tough for me to update this one because it happened so long ago and I don't remember much more than snippets.. Gah, anyway, here you are!_

**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: A Gesture Of Affection And A New Friend**

Arianna was exhausted. She had purposely skipped her last class and wondered if they were paging her at the office already. Well, she had told her teacher she was auditioning for the honor band this week and that she might be late. She would always bring a note or a pass, she assured the teacher, who was not too keen on letting her skip class for music. Arianna didn't care how mad the teacher would be. Her auditions were finished: all she needed to do was give Mr. Berringer the envelope she now held, the large envelope with the paperwork and precious audition tape.

There was a faint knock on the door and Arianna, pleased at having a visitor on her last day of audition work, stood and went to the door. It was Mr. Berringer; Arianna, excited despite her weariness, opened the door and let him in. He smiled at her and held up what he had brought: a small box, paper cups, and a bottle of juice. Arianna tilted her head, confused.

"Left over from what the other students couldn't finish. I noticed you didn't have anything for lunch and I thought we would celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"Your audition, Arianna."

He sat in a spare chair after moving the recording equipment and Arianna sat next to him, nervous. He poured both of them a drink and opened the box to reveal pastries.

"Let's eat as many as we can; I'm not taking them home."

"But, we'll get sick if we try to finish them."

"Then we'll get sick."

He smiled again and Arianna felt her own mouth smile, her lips trembling.

"You're exhausted, I know, but you did a great job. Here is to your audition."

Mr. Berringer touched his cup rim to Arianna's before drinking, Arianna taking a sip of her drink.

She hoped the audition tape was enough to make it. She hoped she could make him proud. She never wanted to see him sad when it came to her musical skills. She wanted him to be proud and to confirm the feelings she had.

* * *

Several months passed, fall becoming winter, snow burying the earth. Allie, Elissa, and Arianna made a new friend: Kasey.

Kasey was a year older than them and Elissa had befriended Kasey in an English class. Kasey was beautiful, with dark hair, pale, but freckled, skin, and a smile that made everyone else want to smile. Her trademark was her guinea pig laugh, however, the squeal alerting everyone of her presence.

The trio had now grown into a group of four.

And, over the course of the past months, Arianna had realized her feeling for the director: she cared for him.

_

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What do you think? This is a little set up to the chapters to come; I needed to introduce Kasey, too... (Caring is not the same as loving, I want to add!) This chapter is not very well put together, but I needed to get this one out of the way to clear the path for the chaptersto come!Review, please! Thanks!_


	13. Hard Work Pays Off

_Here is another chappie! (Sorry about the length of this chapter in particular; I want to keep this one short so I have a longer chapter next time!)_

**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Hard Work Pays Off**

Ariana walked down the hallway, heading for her locker. She was exhausted, but eager for another day. School had blended into the same thing, over and over again, nothing changing. Monotony. Utter monotony.

"Hi, Mr. Schmidt," Arianna said as the junior high director passed by. Mr. Schmidt was a slightly older man who had been Arianna's idol for nearly two years, the director who had taught her everything she knew about music. Mr. Schmidt smiled at Arianna like he usually did and then a flicker of realization came over his face. He turned around and kept pace with Arianna, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Arianna, Mr. Berringer and I would like to talk with you about something."

Arianna was surprised as Mr. Schmidt steered her away from her locker and guided her down the steps to the band room, right into Mr. Berringer's office. She was slightly confused until she saw the large envelope Mr. Berringer held in his hands.

It was from the honor band committee.

"Congratulations," Mr. Schmidt said, excited. "We had in service yesterday and we got it in the mail. We were going to call you or wait until band today, but I couldn't resist."

Arianna felt Mr. Schmidt hug her and she hugged him back.

"Well, good job, Ari," he said again, leaving Mr. Berringer's office, several students looking for him. Arianna turned to face Mr. Berringer, who still sat in his webbed chair, smiling uncomfortably. Arianna's smile faded and she shuffled her feet. Mr. Berringer turned his head and shifted nervously in his chair.

"Thanks, Mr. Berringer," Arianna said softly, looking over the papers form the honor band.

"For what?"

"For helping me get this."

"I didn't really do anything," Mr. Berringer answered, turning a slight pink. Arianna cleared her throat. He was getting uncomfortable and Arianna didn't know what else to say.

"I'm going to go now and- um, put my stuff away."

"Okay."

Arianna started to walk out of the office, disappointed, when Mr. Berringer called her back.

"Arianna?"

"Yes, Mr. Berringer?"

"Good job," he said softly, looking straight into her eyes before turning away and clearing his throat. Arianna nodded and whispered a thank you.

Her heart had been pounding when she thought he was going to hug her, too.

* * *

"Oh, Ari, I'm so happy for you!" Elissa squealed, hugging her friend. "I heard about it in the announcements and we all clapped!"

"Thanks, Elissa," Arianna said, pulling away.

Ari still didn't know what to think about the fame she was getting because of the honor band. She knew she had done something brilliant, but Arianna was never one to draw attention to herself. People were congratulating her in the halls, teachers were clapping her on the back; it seemed everyone was happy for her.

Arianna had thought about nothing but the fact Mr. Berringer had hardly looked her in the eye until she was leaving his office. His eyes were the only thing she was seeing, the tone of his voice the only thing she heard. Arianna hoped she had made him proud; the benefits for a director to have a student in the most prestigious honor band in the state were bountiful. To have your name on the director's list because you worked with your student to get her that far was admirable. It was nearly unheard of for a first year director to make the honor band director's list. He had better be proud of her...

"Ari, is something going on? What's the problem?"

Elissa's voice snapped her out the the little trance Arianna had fallen into.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Ari, tell me what it is? Is it about Mr. Berringer?"

Arianna denied it all too quickly and Elissa raised an eyebrow.

"So, it _is_ about Mr. Berringer. What's up?"

"Nothing, Elissa... It's nothing."

_

* * *

Gosh, Ari really is having some issues here, huh? Well, I can't say it gets better, but I can say that it is not as boring later on as it is now... Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think! I love hearing back from my readers! Thanks again!_


	14. Honor Band

_Wow, it's been a really long time since I've updated this story, huh? I was thinking about it today, the For The Love Of Music series and thinking about the lack of popularity this story has, but that's okay! I don't care if everyone hates it or loves it, I just want to write it. This story really is supposed to be about Arianna and Mr. Berringer, with Elissa and Allie thrown in, but I've strayed from that a little, I think. Oh, well... Here we are with an interesting chapter! Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think about it! The more people who review, the more I can work on the story! I love helpful critique, because it makes me a better writer in the end. Don't like the way the story is going? Tell me about it and I'll see what I can do. Like the story? Tell me why. Thanks so much!_

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_Chapter Fourteen: Honor Band_

Arianna yawned as she got out of the car, clutching her bag and her flute case, wondering how the sun could be that bright so early in the morning. The school where the honor band was being held was huge, the biggest school Arianna had ever seen in her life.

She checked herself in, received her information sheets, and entered the auditorium, finding a chair in which to place her things. Looking around the room, Arianna felt lost- she was the only one from her entire area in the honor band. The nearest school to her own that was represented was over forty miles away, possibly further away than that. She knew no one.

Anxiously, Arianna sat down, wishing Elissa or Allie were with her. Even if Mr. Berringer was there, it would make her feel less lonely. However, her friends were not going to be able to make it, and Ari wasn't sure if Mr. Berringer was going. She knew Mr. Schmidt was coming with his wife to the performance tomorrow, making the three hour drive to the convert, but they were also going away for Valentine's Day, which was the day of the performance. The concert happened to be on their way.

Mr. Berringer was not going to come for her.

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Eventually, everyone arrived and all the students were ordered to take out their instruments and find their chairs. Arianna took out her flute with a smile, her flute the best one in the room.

A gift from an aunt after Arianna had been accepted into the honor band, her flute was a silver and gold dream. Every key was gold plated, the mouthpiece gold and engraved with the most beautiful design she had ever seen. It had an extra key on the foot joint, extending her range a half step lower, and it shone like a star. As Arianna walked onto the stage and found her chair, she was aware all the other performers were looking at her and her flute, not all of the glances friendly.

Arianna gasped when she found out she was ranked sixth. Originally, it had been seventh, but someone could not be there, and Arianna was 'promoted.' She was right behind first chair, at the edge of the stage. Smiling brightly, Arianna took her seat and flipped through her music, the smile fading as she heard other flute players warming up.

They were so much better than her.

Arianna tried to ignore this and attempted to engage the person next to her in conversation, but it was obvious after a few moments that no one wanted to talk. They either wanted to practice or sit silently, most of the musicians groggy from being up so early. It was almost seven in the morning, and most of them had only drove an hour to reach the school, unlike Arianna, who had been up at around four in the morning just to get to the school on time.

The director came and introduced herself to the band, smiling at the first chair flute, who was easily the best flute player Arianna had ever heard live. The conductor ignored the rest of the flutes, and Arianna sighed. She had never been anything but first before now.

Arianna looked over the schedule one more time before putting it away. Practice would be from eight to twelve, with a few minutes of rest every two hours. After lunch was sectional time for an hour, and then a group practice until dinner, which would be at the school, also. After dinner was group practice until ten at night.

This was going to be a long day.

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Arianna's head was pounding as she feverishly coaxed the notes from her flute, her fingers flying across the keys. Although she thought her music was taking flight, Arianna knew her notes were grounded, everyone else flying to better places, places where her music couldn't reach.

"Okay, we'll stop there and break for lunch. Get back as soon as you're done eating and grab your shirt. You paid for the shirts along with the entry fee a few weeks ago, so be sure to get your size. When you come back, you'll be in sectionals."

The director waved her hand and dismissed them, everyone jumping off the stage and putting their instruments away. Arianna put her flute carefully in it's case and buried the case in her large black bag, placing the bag under the chair. She didn't think anyone would be nasty enough to take it or break it, but Arianna didn't want to take that risk.

Arianna followed the rest of the band to the cafeteria, feeling lost. The school was so huge that Arianna supposed she could fit her school in the building more than three or four times. The fine arts section of the school was almost as large as her own school. Arianna lamented the fact there was no musical auditorium where she was from, no practice rooms; she had not even seen the band room of this school yet to compare it to her own. Here she was, in the element she loved, but where Arianna came from was the turning point. If she were ever to end up as a music teacher, would she want to teach somewhere like this?

Arianna, though all her worrying, found herself at the cafeteria and received her food, hardly noticing until she was faced with the problem of finding a place to sit.

Or, rather, someone to sit with.

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Dinner had gone much the same way, Arianna thinking so hard about other things that she hardly noticed when she had gotten her food. She had sat with a small group of students, all of them members of previous honor bands; Arianna had not mentioned that this was her first honor band. They all knew one another. Arianna did not know them and they did not know her. And Ari knew that it was going to stay that way.

She was not going to make any long term friends, not a chance of it at all.

As Arianna practiced longer and longer into the night, she felt a headache coming on; every muscle hurt, her fingers were sore, and her mouth was swollen. They had gone through all the songs more times than Arianna could imagine and she could see that the conductor herself was growing tired.

"That's a wrap for tonight," the conductor said, running a hand through her hair. "Remember, we meet back here bright and early tomorrow morning. Get some food and sleep."

With a wave of her arms, the director dismissed the honer band and Arianna led her row off the stage thankfully, nearly stumbling over her own feet in weariness. Arianna called her mother for a ride back to the hotel they were staying at and waited patiently outside, the chill winter air waking her up just enough to recognize her ride.

Arriving at the hotel several minutes alter, Ari flopped on her bed, fully dressed, almost instantly falling asleep.

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There were several hours of practice left before the actual concert, and Arianna felt out of place as she walked around the auditorium annex with two other girls. The conductor had dismissed the students to wait until everything in the auditorium was figured out and set up for the performance, giving the performers nothing to do.

Arianna tried sitting, but couldn't stay sitting for long before the need to walk around overtook her. She started to pace as the other directors arrived, their students meeting them at the door before escorting them to the directors meeting room. Arianna nearly jumped in happiness as Mr. Schmidt ans his wife arrived; at least they were going to be there for her, sitting beside her mother and sister during the performance.

Mr. Schmidt told Arianna he could find the director's room by himself and wished her luck on the performance. Arianna shook his wife's hand and was about to follow them out of the annex when a little voice in her head told her to wait. Arianna resumed her pacing, occasionally talking with the two other girls in the annex, who were waiting for their directors.

"Hey," one of them said, looking out a window and into the parking lot. "That guy is hot! I wonder who he is."

Arianna watched the other girl rush to the window and nod her head in approval. Ari didn't have time to drool over guys, not when her debut into the musical community was so soon.

"Nice hair," one of the girls commented on the man in the parking lot. "Oh, his long black jacket is so pretty!"

Arianna stopped mid step. There was only one man she knew who wore a long black jacket.

"What color hair does he have?"

"Blond," one of the girls answered happily.

"Arianna ran to the windows, hardly believing her eyes. Mr. Berringer was walking through the parking lot, his long jacket flaring out as the wind kicked up clouds of snow, his head bowed against the wind.

He had come for her on her big day.

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_There we are! This is by far not by best work, but I write this story more as a documentary than a fun story. Thanks for reading and enjoy everything! _


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